Project Natal

Game Summary

Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun -- the only experience needed is life experience.

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...We continued to pull out You're In The Movies when my family, or my girlfriend's family, or our non-gamer friends visited us. The game always received a positive response. Admittedly, the technology was different - certainly far less advanced than what Microsoft is going to release into the wild three days from now. But looking back and remembering the positive reactions the device elicited from the groups of non-gamers who played the game with us, it began to make me wonder if Microsoft may actually be onto something with Kinect.
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"I used to have a table here but I broke it with my Kinect karate skillz."
Quick question, how much empty floor space is there in your living room? If you live in a dorm, apartment or even small house the answer is likely "not much." That might be a problem if you're planning to buy a Kinect this fall, as retailers are suggesting you have at least six feet of clear space at all times when using Microsoft's motion-tracking device.
More after the break. Read More

Always low prices. Always?
Despite the fact that Microsoft has insisted that the theorized $149 price point for the Kinect hardware is only an estimate, gamers, consumers and retailers have taken to the tag and adjusted opinions appropriately. UK retailers want it cheaper, THQ's concerned by the estimation and Microsoft's store lists the price with an estimation subtext. The hub-bub all boils down to an unstable price-point for all parties involved.
Have no fear as Walmart may be riding in atop a horse (this time not made entirely of savings) in order to add some solid ground to the floating $149 estimation. They've priced Kinect hardware and game bundles at $199 for pre-order.
More after the break... Read More

When it comes to the actual MSRP of Microsoft's new Kinect peripheral everyone in the industry is basically in the dark. Several retailers (and even Microsoft themselves) have list $150 as the "placeholder price" for the device, but that number remains unconfirmed. THQ is among those companies wondering how much Kinect is going to cost consumers, and they're beginning to grow restless.
Concerns are voiced after the break. Read More

Update: So, scratch all that as Aaron Greenberg is now massively backpedaling from his earlier statements, claiming "Project Milo absolutely continues in development at Lionhead Studios. It is just not a product we plan to bring to market this holiday. The team at Lionhead has always been a center of innovation and will continue to deliver against that charter." So it looks like Milo may yet live, just not anytime this year.
Last year one of the major demos used to showcase what was then known as Project Natal was a segment known as "Milo and Kate." Lionhead Studios, the company behind the Fable franchise, had a digital boy interact with a real human through facial recognition, object scanning and motion control. It was creepy yet cool at the same time, and a big question on everyone's minds was what exactly this tech demo would become. Sadly, it appears that Milo will never have another playdate, as Lionhead and Microsoft have no plans to release the program to the public.
Get your fragile heart broken after the break. Read More

Gamers of all sorts really liked the name "Natal." Well, at least that's what everyone thought... but in this case, everyone was wrong. According to Microsoft's Albert Penello, Kinect won over Natal by a "landslide" in a survey which pitted the names against one another.
Not only did Natal roll off of varied tongues, it also was a unique title. On the other hand, Kinect feels too pleasant and fastidious. As much as we adapted to the Natal name, Natal was never planned to be the final title. "Well, you know, we launched it as a code name," explained Microsoft's Penello in an interview with Industry Gamers. Should it have been more than just a code name, though?
Get our thoughts after the break. Read More

Ubisoft today announced a few interesting details about their history with Microsoft's new Kinect device. Apparently they've been working with 3D camera technology since 2008 in collaboration with a company called PrimeSense. By pure coincidence, PrimeSense was later acquired by Microsoft to work on Project Natal. Ubi, who already had several projects on the go, were therefore a shoe-in to be an active part of the device's eventual launch as Kinect.
Hit the jump for more on how Ubi are already trying to improve on Kinect's technology - and some details of the games they're working on. Read More

Our own head honchos Ken Cauley and Joey Davidson were in attendance at Microsoft's event this evening showcasing the former Project Natal, now known simply as Kinect. And, quite frankly, they weren't all that impressed.
Was it the lack of hardcore games? Or the performance of Cirque Du Soliel? Or the fact that Microsoft enlisted the help of games journalists during the event by forcing them to wear light-up white ponchos that they didn't even get to keep? Check out the video to find out. Read More

It's official, ladies and gentlemen. Microsoft has decided, taking a page from Apple, to transform their company into essentially a cult. According to Reviews on the Run host Jeff Cannata's Twitter, those attending tonight's Project Natal Kinect event at the Galen Center in Los Angeles have been asked to wear white ponchos, which means that the poisoned Kool-Aid is certainly soon to come.
Okay, well, not exactly, but it is pretty weird. Our own Ken Cauley and Joey Davidson are at the event, so pray for them, please.
For more pics, including EGM's Billy Berghammer and Valhalla Game Studios' Tomonobu Itagaki (!) wearing the white garb, hit the cut for our Twitter-based "live"-blog. Read More

And it has begun. You knew that with Project Natal's reveal coming tonight (and inexplicably NDAed until Tuesday), SOMETHING was going to get out early. And indeed, it appears that something has, thanks to a leaked Italian website ad spotted by YouTube user Kynokeh. It reveals, as has been heavily rumored, Microsoft will announce an Xbox 360 redesign this week.
Slimmer and sleeker than the original model with a more angled, space-age look, the new console, according to a translation, will feature a 250 GB hard drive, and, yes, on-board Wi-Fi compatibility without the need of a costly adapter. It'll also be compatible with Project Natal - although that's not what it's called in the advertisement.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears Project Natal has been renamed. Say hello to Kinect. Read More

E3 is only days away and videogame coverage is seeping from every media pore. The LA Times has posted a story about their hands-on time with Microsoft's big E3 hardware, the Natal. The story included a few insights into two new games/applications that may be packed-in with the Natal when it ships.
The LA Times claims that "there will be about a dozen more Natal-licensed titles from other game developers unveiled Monday and Tuesday, but Microsoft has forbidden the publishers from uttering a word about them until after its own news conference Monday morning." That is in addition to whatever Microsoft includes with the hardware. At a rumored $149.99, it better include some pretty amazing examples of what the Natal can do. Read More

An e-mail sent today by Microsoft to members of Xbox.com said that this year's main press conference will feature announcements that will "top" last year's Project Natal announcement.
"E3 is the world's largest gaming show," reads the e-mail, "and the place where we make the BIG announcements about what's coming up on Xbox. With the massive Project Natal announcement at last year's event, you'd think we'd find it hard to top that. Well, think again.
"This year at E3 we've got even BIGGER announcements to share with you."
What could they be? Read on for hype-riddled speculation. Read More